RUTHERFORD COUNTY, NC - MILITARY - Benjamin Newton, Revolutionary War Pension Application ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Bill Navey genealogy@webmail.bellsouth.net ==================================================================== BENJAMIN NEWTON RUTHERFORD COUNTY, NC _________________________________________________________________ PENSION APPLICATION - 10th SEPTEMBER 1832 DECLARATION IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE BENEFITS OF THE ACT OF CONGRESS PASSED JUNE THE 7TH, 1832 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA RUTHERFORD COUNTY SEPTEMBER SESSION 1832 ON THE 2ND MONDAY IN SEPTEMBER AT THE COURTHOUSE IN RUTHERFORDTON ON THIS 10TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1832 PERSONALLY APPEARED IN OPEN COURT, BEFORE THE JUSTICE HOLDING RUTHERFORD COUNTY COURT, NOW SETTING, BENJAMIN NEWTON, A RESIDENT OF RUTHERFORD COUNTY AND STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, AGE EIGHTY FOUR YEARS ON THE 5TH DAY OF FEBRUARY NEXT, WHO BEING DULY SWORN ACCORDING TO LAW, DOTH, ON HIS OATH MAKE THE FOLLOWING DECLARLATION IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE BENIFITS OF THE ACT OF CONGRESS PASSED JUNE THE 7TH, 1832. THAT HE ENTERED THE SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES UNDER THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS. I BENJAMIM NEWTON FIRST JOINED THE ARMY THE SAME YEAR THAT THE BRITISH CAME TO CHARLESTON, TO GO ON AN EXPEDITION AGAINST THE CHEROKEE INDIANS, AS A FIRST LIEUTENANT UNDER CAPTAIN JOHN MATTOCKS WHO AFTERWARDS FELL IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRYS CAUSE AT KINGS MOUNTAIN. WILLIAM CRONICLE WAS OUR MAJOR, AND FREDERICK HAMRIGHT WAS OUR COLONEL. WE WERE ABSENT ABOUT THREE MONTHS ON THIS SERVICE ON THE ABOVE EXPEDITION. THREE MONTHS I NEXT JOINED THE MILITIA OF NORTH CAROLINA AS 1ST LIEUTENANT UNDER CAPTAIN SAMUEL MARTIN, MAJOR WILLIAM CRONICLE AND COLONEL WILLIAM GRAHAM, ALL OF US LIVED ON THE WATERS OF THE SOUTH FORK OF THE CATAWBA RIVER. WE WERE EMPLOYED ABOUT ONE YEAR IN THE SERVICE AGAINST THE TORIES IN LINCOLN AND RUTHERFORD AND THE UPPER PART OF SOUTH CAROLINA. WE MARCHED OVER TO GREEN RIVER IN RUTHERFORD WHERE WE MET ABOUT EIGHT HUNDRED MEN UNDER DIFFERANT COLONELS. OUR OBJECT WAS TO FIGHT COL. FORGASON AND IT WAS AGREED THAT CONL. CHARLES McDOWAL SHOULD TAKE THE COMMAND, HE BEING THE OLDEST COLONEL. COLONEL McDOWAL MARCHED THE WHOLE EIGHT HUNDRED FIGHTING MEN TO THE BIG SHOAL ON THE SECOND BROAD RIVER IN A DIRECTION OFF FROM CONL FORGASON AND THE OTHER COLONELS ALL GOT MAD WITH CONL. McDOWAL AND EACH TOOK COMMAND OF HIS OWN MEN. AND CONL. WM. GRAHAM AND HIS MEN AND A COLONEL HILL OF SOUTH CAROLINA JOINED US AND WE MARCHED DOWN TO FISHING CREEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA AGAINST CONL. FLOYD WHO COMMANDED ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED TORIES- HOWEVER BEFORE WE ARRIVED COLONEL FLOYD HAD JUST FLED, AS I KNOW BECAUSE WE ATE THE MEAT HE PUT ON THE FIRE. WE THEN UNDER COLONEL GRAHAM RETURNED TO LINCOLN IN PURSUIT OF A TORY COLONEL MOORE WHO HAD GATHERED A LARGE BODY OF TORIES. OUR COLONEL GRAHAM WENT ACROSS THE CATAWBA RIVER TO SEE GENERAL RUTHERFORD IN MECKLENBURG. GENERAL RUTHERFORD ORDERED CONL. GRAHAM AND HIS MEN TO BE AT RAMSOURS MILL AT A CERTAIN TIME AND WE GOT THERE ACCORDINGLY, BUT BEFORE WE GOT THERE AND BEFORE GENERAL RUTHERFORD GOT THERE MAJOR FALLS AND A COMPANY OF MEN MET AND ATTACKED CONL. MOORE AND THE TORIES AT RAMSOURS MILL AND DEFEATED THEM AND WE GOT THERE AS THE BATTLE WAS CLOSING AND I SHOT AT ONE OF THE TORIES AS HE WAS RUNNING FROM THE BATTLE. A GOOD PART OF THIS YEAR I HAD COMMAND OF OUR COMPANY AS CAPT. SAMAUEL MARTINS FAMILY HAD THE SMALL POX AND REQUIRED HIM TO BE AT HOME. TWELVE MONTHS I NEXT VOLUNTEERED WITH OTHERS TO JOIN GENERAL GREENE NEAR CAMDEN, S.C. UPON OUR ARRIVAL I WAS APPOINTED ENSIGN. SAMUEL CASPIS WAS LIEUTENANT UNDER CAPTAIN JACK OF CHARLOTTE, NO. CA. WE WERE TO HAVE BEEN PUT UNDER COMMAND OF CONL. POLK OF NO. CAROLINA, BUT HE WAS TAKEN SICK AND DID NOT COME AND WE WERE PUT UNDER A VIRGINIA COL. I THINK HIS NAME WAS DUDLEY AND AFTERWARDS WE WERE PLACED UNDER THE COMMAND OF A COLONEL MARSHALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND SERVED OUT THE REMAINDE R OF, IN AND ABOUT THREE MONTHS. THREE MONTHS I SERVED OCCASIONALLY ON SMALL TOURS BUT NOT LONG AT ONCE, I WAS IN AN EGAGEMEN T AGAINST COLONEL TARLTON IN THE HAW FIELDS, ORANGE COUNTY, NO. CAR. AT COLONEL MEBANES LANE, WHERE MAJOR HARRIS OF ROCKY RIVER AND NO. CAROLINA HAD HIS HAND CUT OFF. I WAS A VOLUNTEER AND WENT WITH MY FRIEND MAJOR HARRIS TO THAT ENGAGEM ENT AND THEN RETURNED HOME. I WAS IN A SMALL ENGAGEMENT WITH BRITISH AT POLKS MILL WHEN THE ENEMY LAY IN CHARLOTTE. I WAS UNDER CAPTAIN JOHN CLARK AND WAS WOUNDED IN T HE THIGH BY A BRITISH BALL AT SAME MILLS. I CANNOT REMEMBER DATES ACCURATELY, I HAD COMMISSIONS FOR TH OFFICES I HELD AS ABOVE STATED BUT ABOUT FOUR YEARS SINCE A PART OF MY PAPERS WERE ACCIDENTALLY LOST AN D I WAS TAKEN SICK AND EXPECTED TO DIE AND IN PREPARATION OF THAT EVENT LOOKED OVER MY PAPERS AND BURNT SUCH AS I THOUGHT WOULD BE ON NO USE TO MY FAMILY AND MY COMMI SSIONS AND DISCHARGES AND LIST OF MILITIA SOLDIERS WER ALL BURNT BY ME. I WAS INDUCED ALSO TO DO SO AS I UNDERSTOOD THE GOVERNMENT HAD REFUSED TO PAY US FOR OUR SERVICES. THERE ARE BUT FEW MEN LIVING WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE SCENES I HAVE RELATED OR THAT LIVE I N THE COUNTY. JAMES WITHROW (WHO I AM INFORMED AND BELIEVE IS UNABLE TO COME TO COURT) KNOWS I SERVED AS STATED BY ONE AGAINST THE INDIANS. COLONEL WILLIAM GRAHAM ( WHOSE TESTIMONY I HOPE TO PROCURE IF HIS FRAILTIES AND INFIRMATIVES WILL ENABLE HIM TO COME TO COURT) KNO W THAT I SERVED AS I HAVE STATED. CAPTAIN MATTOCKS AND MAJOR CRONICLE BOTH WERE KILLED A T HE BATTLE OF KINGS MOUNTAIN. WHERE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUT WAS SENT AS AN EXPRESS T O CODDLE CREEK MECKLENBURG TO SEE GENERAL RUTHERFORD ON MY RETURN I SWAM FOURTEEN WATER COURSES, THE LAST BEING THE CATAWBA RIVER. I HEREBY RELINQUISH ANY CLAIM WHATEVER TO A PENSION OR ANNUITY EXCEPT THE PRESE NT AND DECLARE MY NAME IS NOT ON THE PENSION ROLL OF ANY AGENCY OF ANY STATE KNOWN TO ME. SWORN TO AND SUBSCRIBED THIS DAY AND YEAR AFORSAID IN OPEN COURT. BENJAMIN NE WTON I OBTAINED THIS FROM THE ARCHIVES IN THE EARLY 60S AND IT IS NOW GETTING FRAGILE AND TATTERED.